Saturday, August 29, 2009

Background Notes for Points of Light

Note there is no overall map nor I got around to defining the major demi-human realms

-----------------------------------GeographyThe main continent is located in the southern hemisphere. Thus the climate gets colder the further south you go.

Bright EmpireThe Bright Empire was formed a thousand years ago. Originating in the City-State of Ramos it covered the nearly the entire eastern half of the main continent. A series of religious and political civil wars weakened the empire frontiers. A series of barbarian invasion wracked the empire culminating in a battle known as the Shattering. After this the various provinces of the empire split apart to find their own way. Various barbarian tribes settled in the ruins of the empire and became nations in their own right.

The United ChurchDriving the rise of the Bright Empire were the four faiths of the United Church. The four gods venerated by the United Church were Sarrath, the God of War and Discipline; Delaquain, the Goddess of Honor and Justice; Veritas, the God of Truth and Law; and Thoth, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Supported by the followers of this quartet of gods, the Bright Empire became the greatest force the world had seen. The United Church collapsed in the wake of the Shattering with the four faiths becoming dominant in different lands.

Other Gods and the Multiverse.Azeel/Azartec is the blood god of revenge. Demons are enemies of all gods and are imprisoned in the Abyss.

The Grand KingdomIn the heartland of the old Bright Empire the City-State of Eastgate formed the nucleus around which five kingdoms united into a single kingdom. The Grand Kingdom venerates Veritas as the High Lord of the Gods. Delaquain is a minor faith followed by fanatical sects. Thoth is a minor faith confined to scattered monasteries. The worship of Sarrath is outlawed.

The Ochre EmpireNorth of the Grand Kingdom is the Ochre Empire. It controls much of the old lands of the Bright Empire around the Middle Sea. Much of the terrain it controls is desert or arid with a few breadbaskets like Goshen and Iconis. It is dominated by the Ochre Emperor and the Church of Sarrath. It is known for its repressive laws and considered aggressive and a tyranny by surrounding nations.

The Duchy of Aqualis Just north of the Grand Kingdom is the semi-independent Duchy of Aqualis. It long been a fanatical stronghold of the Church of Delaquain and opposes the Ochre Empire in nearly every quarter. Only it’s small size prevents it from being more of a threat. The Ochre Empire has been thwarted from conquering the Duchy by the threat of war from the Grand Kingdom.

The Kingdom of GwyneddThe Bright Empire managed only to conquer half of this large peninsula that lies to the east of the Grand Kingdom. Having broken away early in the collapse of the Bright Empire, the Kingdom of Gwynedd has long charted its own course. During the rise of the Grand Kingdom, Gwynedd managed to retain its independence, but it land was relativity poor and lay outside of the main trade routes. The discovery of new lands across the Sunrise Sea has given hope to Gwynedd’s future.

Iconis and RamosIconis is a large peninsula jutting northwards into the Middle Sea This was the original heartland of the Bright Empire and the great city of Ramos was its capital. The Ochre Empire controls the middle and foot of the Peninsula including the city of Ramos. The base of the peninsula is split among various city-states which have allied themselves with one of the surrounding major realms.

The Kingdom of TharvengisThis kingdom has been created out of alliance of barbarian tribes formed to vanquish the humanoid menace. The Kingdom is still largely unsettled dominated by the Tharvengian Forest. The King is merely a first among equals. He often has to negotiate with his Dukes to get the men and money he needs. The last three Kings of Tharvengis have gained a small measure of independence by exacting payments from the Iconis city-states for protecting them against the Ochre Empire.

The Altus MountainsThis is one of the greatest mountain range of the main continent. It forms the spine of the eastern half with many sub ranges splitting off like the Westwall. The Grand Duchy of Stonedale is located in the valleys of its eastern terminus.

The Grey SeaOff of the northern coast of the Grand Kingdom and the Kingdom of Tharvengis. South of the Grey Sea is Jarlheim, home of Viking pirates. Beyond Jarlheim is the land of permanent ice.

The Sunrise SeaLies to the east of the Grand Kingdom and the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Recently new lands were discovered east of this oceans.

The Time Periods

ClassicalThe Kingdom of Goshen, the City States of Achea, the Empire of the Two Kings, and City-States of Iconis including Ramos lies around the Middle Sea.

The Bright EmpireThe Bright Empire dominates the entire eastern half of the main continent

The Civil WarsThe Bright Empire is wrecked by religious and political strife and ends with Barbarians Invasion culminating in the Shattering.

The Dark AgeThe surviving pieces of the Empire and the new barbarian nations attempt to rebuild civilization while resisting the advance of the Ochre Empire and the followers of Sarrath

The Grand KingdomCivilization has been rebuilt and expanded beyond the limits of the Bright Empire. But war between rival powers threatens to undo progress.

Bat in the Attic Games

How to make a Sandbox

The Old School Renaissance

To me the Old School Renaissance is not about playing a particular set of rules in a particular way, the dungeon crawl. It is about going back to the roots of our hobby and seeing what we could do differently. What avenues were not explored because of the commercial and personal interests of the game designers of the time.

What are RPGs?

A game where the players play individual characters interacting with a setting with their actions adjudicated by a human referee.

Rules are an aide to help the referee adjudicate actions and to help the players interact with the setting.

Dice are used to inject uncertainty which make a tabletop RPG campaign more interesting than "Let's Pretend".

The only thing a player needs to do to roleplay a character is to act if he or she was really there in the setting in that situation.